Cleaning tool



May 25, 1965 J. R. HAGEMAN CLEANING TOOL Filed NOV. l5, 1961 M V j ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,184,780 CLEANING rI'OOL James R. Hageman, Eau Claire, Mich., assigner to Whirlpool Corporation, St. Joseph, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 151,772 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-547) This invention relates generally to cleaning apparatus and more particularly relates to a cleaning tool incorporating a duel head and nozzle adapted to be interchangeably connected to either a conventional vacuum cleaner or to its own motor fan unit and further char- -acterized by an integral pump actuatable by .the operator to selectively provide a supply of cleaning fluid to the cleaning head.

It is an object of the present invention to provide cleaning apparatus including a liquid ilow passage having an elastic wall portion with check valves on both the upstream and downstream end of the elastic wall portion so that upon flexing the wall portion a pumping action will be developed.

Many other features, advantages and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment of a cleaning apparatus incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by Way of illustrative example.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning tool provided in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional View illustrating additional details of the squeegee head.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating further details of the squeegee head.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the washer head.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating additional details of the squeegee head.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary elevational View illustrating further details of the squeegee head.

As shown on the drawings:

Referring now to FIGURES 16, the dual head cleaning tool is shown generally at 10 and comprises a generally Y-shaped member including a main body portion 70 having oppositely extending legs including one leg forming a squeegee head 71 and a second leg 72 forming a cleaning or washing head.

The squeegee head 71 has a transversely elongated portion formed with a transverse slot 73 opening out of a beveled end face 74.

A resilient squeegee element 76 is received within the transverse slot 73 and has an action edge 77 which projects outwardly beyond the beveled end face 74 for engagement with the surface being cleaned.

Also received within the transverse slot 73 is a port member constituting a resilient ilat insert having one face thereof fluted to form a row of recesses 78. The tinted recesses 78 together with the squeegee element 77 form passageways extending inwardly from the action edge 77 to the hollow interior 79 of the squeegee head 71. The port member may constitute a resilient at insert having one face thereof uted to form a row of recesses 78 and the other face thereof notched to form a row of inclined recess 78a (FIGURE 5). Therefore, when the port member contacts the surface to be cleaned, air and water are allowed to pass through the inclined recesses 78a and into recesses 78 to passage 79.

The cleaning or washing head 72 is characterized by 3,184,78 Patented May 25, 1065 side walls forming a recess and having a bottom wall 81. Received within the recess and engaged against the bottom Wall 81 is a rigid backing plate 82 against which is bottomed a cellular mass such as a sponge 83. The sponge 83 extends outwardly of the flanges 80, thereby to provide an action surface 84 for engaging a surface to be cleaned with a scrubbing action.

Within the wall S1 and behind the rigid backing plate 82 there is formed a valve compartment 86 having a bottom wall 87 and side walls 88. The bottom wall has formed .therein an opening 89 which is normally closed by a rubber or resilient disk valve 90. To retain the disk valve 90 in yieldable closing relation with the opening 89, a continuous biasing means 91 is situated between the rigid backing plate 82 and the valve disk 90. The continuous biasing means 91 could take the form of a spring, however, it may conveniently take the form of a resilient spongy material as illustrated in FIGURE 4.

The rigid backing plate 82 is formed with suitable passage means 92 communicating the valve compartment 86 with the cellular mass 83. Accordingly, when cleaning liquid is supplied through the opening 89 to the valve compartment 86, the cleaning liquid will saturate the sponge 83 and will be supplied to the action surface 84 in proper amount to effect a desirable cleansing action.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the dual head 10 has a passage 93 which communicates with the hollow interior of the squeegee head 71 and the passage 93 leads rearwardly through the wand 11, there being a nipple 94 provided for connection to the conduit 62 so that vacuum bias may be applied to the passages 78 for effecting a vacuum pickup at the action edge of the squeegee.

The dual head 10 is also formed with a passage 96 which communicates With the opening 89 and which leads rearwardly through the Wand 11, there being formed a nipple 97 connected to the conduit 32 and by means of which cleaning liquid may be supplied to the sponge 83.

The Wand 11 of the present invention is particularly characterized by a pump, In this connection, note that the wand 11 has a rigid housing 100 which forms a portion of the passages 93 and 96.

With specific regard to the passage 96, there is provided a pair of end fittings or nipples 101 and 102 which are spaced apart from one another longitudinally and which serve to connect opposite ends of an elastic tube shown at 103.

The housing provides a rigid backing member 104 adajacent one side of the elastic tube 103.

The nipple 102 is formed with a valve seat 106 closed by a check valve 107 which may conveniently take the form of a flap valve which moves between the full line position and a dotted line position as shown in FIGURE 6.

Likewise, the nipple 101 is provided with a wall 108 in which is formed a valve opening 109 regulated by a check valve 110. The valve 110 can also conveniently comprise a ilap valve which moves between the full and dotted line positions shown in FIGURE 6.

A movable piston member 111 is engaged against the elastic tube 103 at the side opposite the rigid backing member 104 and means are provided to urge the movable piston member 111 inwardly, thereby to ilex the elastic tube 103 and temporarily alter the volume of that portion of the passage 96 between the check valves 107 and 110, thereby to develop a pumping action.

To eect that end, there is provided a lever member having a rst arm 112 pivotally connected as at 113 to the movable piston member 111. The lever member has a second arm 114 on the end of which is formed a manual actuating handle 116.

A fulcrum effects a pivotal connection as at 117 between the lever arm and the rigid housing 100. Thus, upon rocking the lever arm through engagement of the leerse actuating handle 116, the movable piston 111 is moved inwardly or outwardly to ilex the elastic tube 103, thereby pumping cleaning uid from the compartment 20` through the conduit 32 and the passage 96 to the washing head 72.

In use, the dual head 10 together with the wand 11 and the casing unit 12 are interconnected by the conduit means 32 and 62. The user can operate the actuating handle 116 of the pump contained within the housing 100 of the wand 11, whereupon cleaning liquid from a source will be directed to the passage 96 to the sponge 83, whereupon the,

action surface 84 engages the surface to be cleaned in the presence of the cleaning agent.

The operator then turns the dual head 10 through 180 and engages the action edge 77 of the squeegee element 76Vagainst the surface, whereupon liquid and soil is re-A moved and drawn by vacuum bias through the passages '78 into the hollow core 79 for transmission via the passage 93 and thevconduit 62 to thetube 60.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

The embodiments of the invention in which an eX- clusive property or privilege is claimed vare deiined as follows:

1. A cleaning tool comprising,

an elongated main body portion having a pumping chamber formed therein including check valves and an elastic wall portion,

means to'ex said elastic wall portion to develop a pumping action, said main -body portion having a passage for receiving the fluid discharged by said pumping action and forming a reservoir for fluid in said tool,

said body portion having a washer head at the end of said passage,

said washer head having a recess formed therein,

a plate member having a centrally disposed passage formed therein and extending across the bottom of said recess,

means forming a valve compartment between said body portion passage and said centrally disposed passage in said plate member,

a resilient disc valve positioned in said compartment and extending across said body portion passage,

a continuous biasing means between said disc valve and one side of said plate member tending to normally close said disc valve against said body portion passage,

and a sponge in said recess-bottomed against the other side of said plate member,

said continuous biasing means being compressible against one sideof said plate member and said sponge being compressible against the other side of said plate member,

whereby said disck valve will meter ow of iiuid delivered to said passage by said pumping action to said sponge.

2. A cleaning tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said continuous biasing meanscomprisesqa resilient spongy material.

3. A cleaning tool as dened in claim 1, and further characterized by a rigid housing circumjacent said elastic wall portion including a backing portion opposite said elastic wall portion, a nipple connected at each end of said pumping chamber, said means to iiex said wall portion to develop a pumping action comprising a movable piston member engaging against said elastic wall portion opposite said backing portion along a substantial portion of its length, said check valves being located in' each of said nipples to insure one way flow through said pumping chamber, and a lever arm havingl one end connected to said piston member and having an actuating handle'at its opposite end, and a fulcrum pivotally connecting an intermediate portion of said lever arm to said rigid housing,

` whereby pivotally rocking said lever arm will`compress said elastic wall portion to temporarily change the volume `of said pumping chamber between said check valves to develop the pumping action.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS' 622,809 4/99 Keyser 15--547 X 844,700 2/07 Urban 1'5-569 864,953 9/,07 Craig 15-553 954,541 4/10 Raymond et al 15-401 1,086,618 2/14 Raymond et al 15-401 1,535,304 4/25 Gerdinv 15-553 1,661,480 3/28 Keefer V15--321 1,690,472 11/28 Breton 15-.320 1,821,715 9/31 Kuchinsky 15-322 1,929,345 10/33. Brown et al 15-321 2,618,002 11/52 Bowman et al 15-569 2,746,071 5/56 Charun 15-531 2,770,828 11/56 Ellman 15-547 2,785,425 3/57 Lenk 15-547 X 2,893,044 7/59 Kurose 15-322 2,909,800 10/59 Grindle et al 15--321 2,932,043 4/60 Bischoi 15--562 X 2,960,040 11-/60 Bischoff 15--562 X 2,976,560 3/61 Turnerv 15--569 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Examiner. 

1. A CLEANING TOOL COMPRISING, AN ELONGATED MAIN BODY PORTION HAVING A PUMPING CHAMBER FORMED THEREIN INCLUDING CHECK VALVES AND AN ELASTIC WALL PORTION, MEANS TO FLEX SAID ELASTIC WALL PORTION TO DEVELOP A PUMPING ACTION, SAID MAIN BODY PORTION HAVING A PASSAGE FOR RECEIVING THE FLUID DISCHARGE BY SAID PUMPING ACTION AND FORMING A RESERVOIR FOR FLUID IN SAID TOOL, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING A WASHER HEAD AT THE END OF SAID PASSAGE, SAID WASHER HEAD HAVING A RECESS FORMED THEREIN, A PLATE MEMBER HAVING A CENTRALLY DISPOSED PASSAGE FORMED THEREIN AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF SAID RECESS, 